kO′ch VA adj. 1. a highly specialized and niched virtual
assistant who is in tune with their coaching clients and customizes solutions based upon their individual needs and goals 2. differs from a general virtual assistant as they only partner with members of the coaching industry [syn: 
Archive for VA Training
Setting Up a Profitable Virtual Assistant Business
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A virtual assist business can be extremely profitable. However, a lot of people mistakenly think it’s an easy path to riches.
This is not true. The vast majority of VA companies fail. This is because of a few critical mistakes made during the beginning stages. Here are the five mistakes to avoid:
Mistake #1
Not having a plan
It’s essential to have a business plan in order to make money. Anything sustainable doesn’t happen by accident. It has to be intentional.
The truth is, starting this business is not cheap. Knowing ahead of time what you can afford to spend can save you from disaster. Therefore, a good plan will include a budget and marketing strategy.
Mistake #2
Trying to be a jack-of-all-trades
Attempting to do too much is a common mistake. Many owners try to handle every task in order to get more business.
However, if you do this, you won’t be able to focus your marketing on one specific group of people. As is often said, “if everyone is your customer than no one is your customer.”
Becoming the best at one particular skill is usually more profitable than being average at twenty. This will help you stand out from the crowd. You might want to consider investing in training if you really want to master a skill.
Mistake #3
Putting up with distractions
If you are going to work from home, make sure you are in a place that is free of distractions. In other words, don’t have your office in a high-trafficked part of the home.
This is one of the biggest killers to productivity. Instead, set up a dedicated workspace where you can have uninterrupted work time. If possible set a schedule and stick to it.
Mistake #4
Not focusing on the marketing
It is difficult to make money without being a good marketer, even if you are the best VA in the world. If you can’t attract business, your skills will not do you much good.
Mistake #5
Not having a scalable business
That’s not to say you shouldn’t do any VA assignments yourself. After all, you might really enjoy them. However, recognize that there are limits to the amount of tasks you can do yourself in a 24-hour day. That’s why hiring people will enable you to accept more work, and therefore make your business scalable.
For instance, if you have a web design VA business, you might only be able to finish one site a week yourself. However, if you have 5 subcontractors, then you can take on 5 times the projects.
The bottom line is, having a VA business can be extremely profitable. When you avoid the five common mistakes listed above, you can have a strong, viable business.
When Outsourcing Don’t Forget to Plan Ahead
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When you started your business you had a plan, a business plan. It no doubt mentioned something about future expansion. Now is the time to put those plans in place.
The best time to think about expanding your business is before it actually happens. Then, you can put your plan into action much more quickly and seamlessly. Part of expanding is outsourcing.
Are you ready for a multi-VA team?
It was a team of one, but now you are happily getting too big for a one-person show. To keep moving upward, you’ll need others to make it happen.
Choosing your team
The team will be comprised mostly of other virtual assistants. These aren’t just any virtual assistants – they think like you do and have a similar work ethic. Just like your clients did with you, you’ll want to do some research and interviewing to find just the right people.
You may have already thought about what jobs you will outsource. Keeping it simple is a good way to start until you get a feel for how the team will work together. Interviewing is only the first step. Keep in mind that you may want to outsource more delicate matters later. Look for a variety of skills in the people that you choose for your team. The more skills that they have, the more useful they will turn out to be to you.
Starting off on the right foot
Get all of your ducks in a row from the beginning. This includes contracts, agreements and instructions. Each virtual assistant will need a contract that spells out, but is not limited to: pay per hour, pay schedule, process portfolio, etc. Agreements between you and your subcontracting VAs stipulating confidentiality and non-compete clauses are essential.
Written instructions about how to do what you ask avoids as many mistakes as possible later. Even though your subcontractors know how to say, write a report, they don’t know how you write reports for your clients. Pleasing your clients is the important part here.
Crossing all the Ts
One “T” in particular is taxes. You are not just responsible for yourself but others who work for you. Hiring subcontractors is considered freelancing. This is another area that needs to be specified in any contracts with your team. As a subcontractor, they will be responsible for their own taxes and insurance. What you will provide (for US workers) is a 1099-MISC form for them that specify what you pay them so that they can use it to file their taxes.
The cost of subcontracting will figure into your hourly or per project rate for your clients.
Planning ahead for business growth will make you healthy, wealthy and wise.
Keeping Track of Your Virtual Assistant Team
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Many successful virtual assistants will need to assemble a team at some time in their career. A team increases your business possibilities and opportunities. But, handling all those people will take more than just a little brain power.
Putting the Pieces Together
Make a list. Whose skills will you use for what jobs? There are several ways you can do this. Let’s say that you want to hire someone to do article writing. You can use that same person for all your article needs across all projects, if they have the right qualifications. Or, you can use a different VA for each specialty that you handle, i.e. someone who is experienced with financial matters works with those clients and someone else who is experienced with website development can work with online businesses.
What you want to do is spread out the work so that deadlines are getting met. Even with one other person, burnout can come quick. Take inventory of how many people you will likely need to cover your overflow.
Getting your Mind Right
What’s this all about? Well, it involves how you will manage your team. Micromanaging is not what you want or need. That is just a fancy and roundabout way of doing all the work yourself. It is exhausting and not cost effective. You’ll have to let your team of professionals operate on their own with minimal guidance ONCE you are comfortable with their skills.
You already know that each person will have a different way of working. The important thing is that they can deliver for you. You can give each person a probationary period to evaluate their work. That’s another reason to implement your team approach while the overflow is light. You don’t want to test them under fire.
Tracking Projects
A project management system lets you keep track of not only the projects but the subcontractors as well. You can have them upload their work at various stages so you can see how they are doing and report to your client. Any documents that are needed by you and them can be uploaded to the project.
This system works well for asking questions, posting new information and hosting discussions with your team. There are options for you. ClientSpot is a system that allows you to create client lists, post projects and add users. Each contractor can have their own username and password for the system and limited access to only their projects.
A similar system is ManyMoom. Here, each client can have access to certain projects and it seemlessly integrates with Google products as well as many social networking platforms.
Tracking your team is a matter of project management. To ease your mind, know who is doing what, when and how.
Sharon Williams Stops By on the OIVAC Blog Hopping Tour
Posted by: | CommentsSharon I am so glad to have you here today and I appreciate you coming. If there is one thing that I am passionate about, it’s virtual assistants. They totally rock don’t they? The educational opportunities available to them this year at OIVAC are mind blowing. If they don’t have their tickets yet, they need to get them right now at www.OIVAC.com!
Now onto Sharon!
_________________
Hello Becki,
Lady, I’m glad to be able to stop by and chat. My train ran out of fuel, and I had to make a pit stop and recharge the engines. But, I’m back on track and ready to go full steam ahead. Pump your questions into my engine and let’s chug along the virtual assistant education and information track. Whatcha got?
What are some of the little known target markets a VA can focus on?
Becki, I’m asked this question often, and have created a short list for your readers:
• financial planners
• architects
• nonprofits
• churches
• artists
• chiropractors
• appraisers
• bookkeepers
• accountants
• associations
• building contractors
• import/exporters
• market research companies
There are literally hundreds of “little known” target markets VA can focus on to build their practices. These markets may not have much information about or even be aware of virtual assisting. Because of this lack of awareness, approaching these industries provides an excellent opportunity for a VA to penetrate these groups and become the “go-to”, resourceful VA.
To accomplish this, identify the market/profile that best matches your idea of a “dream customer”, conduct research and survey the particular industry, become knowledgeable about the group’s issues/problems, communicate with members and eventually be able to offer solutions. In other words, first identify their pain, let them know you are aware of it, possess the solution and provide the soothing balm.
How can a VA find the right client for them?
Who you work with is your choice and has a huge impact on your happiness, productivity, quality, and the future of your business. Working with the right clients is absolutely critical. The wrong client can kill your morale and cost you big opportunities. Working with the right client isn’t work at all — it’s a pleasure.
However, there are several factors to consider during your evaluation:
Feeling Trust!
Working closely with someone is a rather personal experience and you want very much to positively present this person in a way that represents the business in an exceptional manner. However, if a person bombards you with a million questions and wants to know why you can do a better job than someone else, you’re probably heading in the wrong direction fast!
Consciousness of Success
The person you work with has to be willing to control their own destiny. I mean, they cannot place their success in your hands – and should not hold YOU responsible if they do not achieve it. Each business owner is responsible for their own success, and once an individual recognizes (and projects it), they have developed the consciousness of success I refer to.
Conduct a Thorough Interview
As part of our interview process, drilled down into the potential client’s business model and financial objectives. Ask lots of questions to see if you can contribute significantly to a company’s success and to see if they meet your criteria for the right fit.
See the Opportunity and Weigh the Risks
Clients are an important and valuable asset and a major investment of time, processes, brain power, etc. Complete this brief exercise to help determine your dream client.
1) Get a piece of paper and draw 3 columns.
2) In the first column list your clients in order their profitability – most profitable at the top, least profitable at the bottom.
3) In the second column, write the annual revenue the client brings to your company.
4) Use the third column to apply adjectives to each client (ex: pleasant, fun, easygoing, motivated, distrustful, draining, etc.)
5) Now go back and circle all of the clients that have negative adjectives.
Usually, the most PROFITABLE (don’t confuse this with gross sales!) are also the ones with the most positive associations (pleasant, easy, friendly, respectful, loyal). The least profitable usually have the most negative associations (high maintenance, untrusting, hagglers, etc).
Bottom line, carefully define your dream customer. Write down as many things about them as possible – their annual revenue, personality, industry, business approach, and the amount of money they spend with your company. In most cases, this description will align with your clients who are at the top. Now, commit to using the criteria you just defined as your new rulebook for accepting new clients. If a prospect doesn’t fit, then respectfully decline the engagement. Only take on new work that is a match. Pretend your business is an exclusive nightclub and you only let a select few past that velvet rope. And yes, your company is that special!
*Exercise provided by: www.kinesisinc.com
What kind of technical education opportunities are available at OIVAC?
OIVAC 2010 has quite a bit of technical education opportunities planned this year. They include:
• Landing Business Success with a Facebook Fan Page (FBML)
• Shopping Carts for VAs
• 1Shopping Cart Mastery: Marketable Skills to Make You a Star
• Digital Security Salad
• How to Incorporate Camtasia Screencasts into Your VA Practice
• Creating a Membership Site to Use with Your Clients
• Incorporating Video into Your VA Marketing
• How to Add Website SEO Services to Your VA Practice
• Basic PC Maintenance – Tools to Keep Your PC Functioning
• Turbocharge Your Wordpress Blog
• How to Get Out of Second Gear and Get Your Wordpress Site Moving
But don’t despair! We also have excellent business and marketing sessions scheduled, too. Stop over to the seminar schedule to check out dates/times and registration packages.
Becki, it was great to stop over today. I particularly enjoyed discussing finding “the right client” and hope the information will open some eyes and help struggling VAs reevaluate how they decide who to partner with.
Next stop, Amy Blesser’s Virtual Services 4 U, where I’m sure Amy will ask very interesting questions.
Sharon Williams is President of The 24 Hour Secretary and chair of the Online International Virtual Assistants Convention. Don’t forget to stop by OIVAC and checkout our lineup of savvy business owners. Visit the schedule and register for the Technology or Business/Marketing Tracks to propel your business to its next plateau.
Transparency is Important for Virtual Assistants
Posted by: | CommentsAs a business owner, you already know how important it is to communicate effectively. Your relationship with your clients depends on it. But, as an employer, you will need to be even more transparent to get the job done.
Your business brand is probably built on quality and timeliness. Your clients depend on a high caliber of work from you as well as meeting their hectic deadlines with time to spare.
None of that is going to change when you enlist the aid of subcontractors. If you want these VAs to provide the same high level of work, they need to know exactly what you expect from them and the system you want followed.
Being transparent is not about laying your soul bare. It’s more about leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of client satisfaction. That sounds very technical doesn’t it? Here’s what it essentially means.
Stating Your Case Up Front
Let’s begin at the beginning. There are tons of virtual assistants out there, but not all are created equal. You will work better with someone who has a personality and working style similar to yours. It’s not just experience that you are interested in here.
Let any prospects know about how you like to work. Let them know from day one (or interview one) how you handle work with your client. If you provide periodic updates for big projects then any subcontracting VAs need to know that their work will have more than one deadline.
What are you going to outsource to others?
Know what skills you are looking for and ask for those particular skills from your assistants. For example, articles can be written on an variety of subjects. If one of your clients is a real estate broker, you don’t want to hire someone with experience writing only gardening articles. Just the ability to write is not enough.
You have set the bar for your clients. They receive information from you in a format that has been mutually agreed upon. To receive the same from your subcontractors, they will need instructions. Writing detailed documents seems tedious, but in the grand scheme of things, this will ensure there will be no mistakes or misunderstandings. Not to mention, it makes it easier should the initial person you hire not work out for any reason. You’ll already have the instructions ready to send to the one who takes their place.
Here’s what can happen if you don’t. First, you will receive the completed work. When you look over it, you find several things wrong. Either you send it back to your subcontractor or you fix it yourself. If the time it takes to rework the work is over what has been agreed with the client, then you have to suck it up and lose money. If it puts you over your deadline, you have to explain to your client why it is not ready. Nothing about that is going to sit right with you, or, and most importantly, your client.
Transparency is good when you want need to outsource to other professionals. The work gets done right the first time and your clients remain happy. That’s the cornerstone of a successful service business.
How to Set Up An RSS Feed
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RSS feeds are a useful tool for people who want to keep tabs on websites, blogs and membership sites without having to surf and visit the websites individually. RSS feeds essentially send information to the visitor.
As a business owner they’re almost an essential tool to provide to your visitors, because they help you stay in connection with them on a regular basis. In fact, many people have readers that aggregate all the feeds they subscribe to and organize them so they’re easy to read and access.
On that note, here’s how to set up effective RSS Feeds.
1. Determine what content you want to make available to your visitors. What content do you want them to be able to subscribe to? For example, if you have an information-based website, you may want them to be able to subscribe to categories or to all new articles or to give them the choice.
2. Create your feed. You can use an RSS channel editor to create your RSS feed; if you’re not comfortable coding then this is an easy step. There are a number of channel editors and you can do a quick search online to find one that meets your needs. My personal favorite is Feedburner. It’s a snap to set up and all the work is done for you.
You can also create your feed yourself. It’ll look something like this:
<?xml version=”1.0″ ?>
<rss version=”2.0″>
<channel>
<item>
<title>Your Article Title Here</title>
<description>Your article summary/description here.</description>
<link>http://linktoyourwebpagehere.com</link>
</item>
</channel>
</rss>
3. If you choose to do it yourself, upload your RSS file. You’ll cut and paste the code into your website code. Or if you’re using FTP, you’ll upload the file into your server.
4. Validate the feed. There are a number of free validation programs available online. This is an important step because errors can be present if you’ve created the feed yourself or if you’ve tweaked it.
5. Your next step is to let people know they can subscribe to your feed. Advertise. Place a button on your web page(s) and promote it. Many internet users love RSS feeds and take full advantage of them.
Make sure you update your feed as needed and stay on top of RSS technology. It has changed over the years; there are actually three types of RSS feeds and you want to ensure you’re giving your visitors the best you have to offer.
VA Training ‘07
Posted by: | CommentsWe are gearing up for our fourth year of the VA Training Program! We set the schedule and are ready to help you get your VA Business soaring.
Our sessions for 2007 are:
The 1st session starts on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 – 10 Seats left
The 2nd session starts on Wednesday, May 2, 2007 – 10 Seats left
The 3rd session starts on Wednesday, September 5, 2007 – 8 Seats left
The 4th session starts on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 – 10 Seats left
Go to http://www.vatraining.com/virtual-assistant-training-programs.html to register now.
We have several programs that may suit your needs.
-The VA Jumpstart Program – 8-weeks of group training + the recordings of those calls, 4 One-on-One Coaching calls, and more
-The Savvy VA Program – 4-weeks of continued One-on-One Coaching (after the VA Jumpstart Program)
-The Virtuoso VA Program – 8-weeks of continued One-on-One Coaching (after the VA Jumpstart Program with optional payment plan)
One-on-One Coaching Programs (3-month commitment) with:
o Dale Noles
o Becki Noles
o Heather Jacobson
8-Week Audio Training Sessions – Pre-recorded 8-week program delivered to your email Inbox once per week for 8-weeks and includes handouts and materials
**NEW**
As a graduate of the VA Training Jumpstart Program, your name will be listed on a special page and be provided with a graphic or link that you may place on your web site to let your clients know that you have been through a formal training program.
Note: Previous Graduates of the VA Jumpstart Program will be added automatically and you will be receiveing a notification from VA Training with your detials. Do not contact us as we will initiate the contact. Thank you.
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We know that being a Virtual Assistant is not as easy as putting up a website and waiting for business to come to you. Networking and marketing are key factors in making your business a success. The Small Business Administration estimates that about 60% of new businesses fail in their first five years of operation. Take a step back and look at the numbers. Are they not shocking? VA Training wants you to be successful, not another statistic.
So, we designed our coaching and training programs to help you set up and make the most of your time and talents. Even if you have been a VA for a while and you need to refocus your business, we have a plan to fit your needs.
Our plans are located at http://www.vatraining.com/virtual-assistant-training-programs.html.
Our approach is unique. We coach using the “IDEAL” VA principle:
I – dentifying your specific talents and the work that you most enjoy!
D – etermining your target market!
E – ncouraging you to achieve and work to your fullest potential!
A – lways treating your client like they are your only client!
L – aunching your career to be the success that you want it to be!
Our ultimate goal is to make training affordable, yet provide a comprehensive program to emerging and established Virtual Assistants.
While nobody is an expert at everything, we have a fantastic group of coaches who specialize in different areas of coaching that include creating business and marketing plans, branding, marketing (online and off), determining your vision and goals, determining your target market, developing dynamic presentation skills, achieving your fullest potential, mentoring you through the setup of your own VA practice, and much more.
So, if you are ready to take the plunge and start a VA business or are ready to refocus your business, visit http://www.vatraining.com/virtual-assistant-training-programs.html and register for the plan that best suits your needs.
Remember that life is too short to not pursue your biggest dreams! The chase is on! Are you running?
Warmly,
The Coaches of VA Training
www.VATraining.com
To set up a consultation:
E-mail CoachDale@VATraining.com
Or call 717-914-1499 and ask for Dale
Product Review: XSite Pro
Posted by: | CommentsEveryone Gets “XSite’d” with XSitePro!
There’s a buzz floating around the internet about a new web design software called XSitePro. Its target market? Affiliate marketers.
While I dabble in affiliate marketing, it is not my main focus, so at first glance I didn’t think this program would be for me. However, my nine-year-old son, Matthew, was working on developing his own site, and I didn’t have the time to create it for him, nor did I have time to sit there and teach him the basics of FrontPage. He’s nine. I never thought this idea he had would come to fruition, but here he came with not only research, but excitement.
I began to look for a way he could build a site on his own. I once used a really great site builder through InternetBasedFamily.com, but the monthly fee was on the pricey side – more than I wanted to invest in my nine-year-old’s venture. For all I know, this site idea could be like last year’s wrestling. He was all geared up about it, so I went out and invested all this money in a singlet, shoes, and head gear. He never finished the season. It just wasn’t his thing, and now we have all this wrestling gear that we’ll never use again.
I went back to look at XSitePro. I watched the “7 Reasons Why You Need XSitePro Now!” video, and the program looked easy enough to use. I liked the fact that you could use their templates or build your own. I liked that if you wanted to change the layout of the page, you can do it in one place and have it change all your pages for you.
I downloaded the free trial and told Matthew to check it out. I printed out the user’s manual that included easy, step-by-step instructions and screen shots and let him play. Sure he had questions, but in the end he had a nine page website built just by going through the tutorial. What’s even better? He had nine optimized pages. He doesn’t know about targeted keywords, but I can help him with that later on.
XSitePro is a very simple program to use. To add an article page, simply click on “Add Article” and a box pops up for you to add your title, description, resource box, and any other additional information you have. Click okay, copy and paste your article, and voila! You have an article page. XSitePro even indexes them on your main page and automatically creates a site map for you, as well.
The same is true for product pages – very simple forms to fill out and the page is created for you. No html or design skills required.
Matthew can even add Google AdSense to his pages with out copying and pasting code. He simply right clicks, selects “insert Google AdSense”, chooses the color scheme and size of his ads, and hits okay.
After I saw how easy it was to use, and knowing that I could still put this program to use if his online venture falls by the wayside, I invested in XSitePro. Matthew now works on his site every night. I tinkered with it and put up a 45-page, content-based site in 3 hours.
There are two types of people for whom I would recommend XSitePro: affiliate marketers and those who have little web design experience but would like to set up a site of their own. It is half the cost of Dreamweaver and ten times easier to use. The best feature of this program? It comes with a 365-day money-back guarantee. You have a whole year to decide if you’ve made a wise investment. I didn’t need a year, only a few hours, and now I’m XSite’d about the many things I can do with this program in the future.
And let’s be honest…if a nine-year-old can operate it, so can you!
Click here to view the “7 Reasons Why You Need XSitePro Now!” video
About the Author
Heather Jacobson is the owner of Valley Virtual Assistants, providing marketing support and services to entrepreneurs and small businesses. She is also a business coach with VATraining.com, speaker, and author of “Making Dollars Out of Cents: 101 Tips for the Frugal Marketer“. Heather has over 12 years of sales and marketing experience from multiple industries and uses this expertise to custom tailor the perfect marketing avenue for each client. For more information visit www.valleyva.net or www.inexpensivemarketingideas.com
VA Training – New Session
Posted by: | CommentsVA Training has a new session beginning in June. To keep the group intimate, yet dynamic, we have decided that 8 people are able to participate in the sessions at any one time. This way the group is small enough that everyone has a chance to participate, yet large enough for an awesome dynamic.
Our approach is very unique to one-on-one coaching and to the area of mentoring VAs. We wanted to make training affordable, but still provide a program that would be extremely valuable to emerging VAs as well as those who are established. We offer training to VAs with no out of pocket expense for the VA. With our program they receive excellent success coaching, hands on experience and a testimonial for work that is well done. The trade is that we sub out work (a client’s work or our own, depending on workload and sensitivity)…two hours of work for one hour of coaching.
If you would like more information, please visit http://www.VATraining.com or email CoachDale@VATraining.com or CoachBecki@VATraining.com.
Prior to acceptance into the program, we request a telephone consultation with you so we can determine your needs, goals and vision. At that time we also go in-depth as to how VA Training is operated and how we work. Together, we will determine if VA Training is right for you and if our personalities mesh.
Look forward to hearing from you.
